The Artistic Side and Today’s News

You may not know it from reading this website, but I’m more of an artistic individual than anything else. Throughout school (not including my MBA, that is), my studies centered around music, and my original plan was to be a high school instrumental music teacher. Every once in a while, I get to do something artsy.

My friend Darren, who owns an audio production company, asked me to help him out as he runs sound and lighting for a high school in northern New Jersey performing their spring musical production, Pippin. I leave from the office to go to the school, and I haven’t been getting home until after midnight, at which point I do my Economics homework. He offered me $500 for five days of work running the lighting controls — one day of rehearsal and four shows plus equipment load-out. Even if he didn’t offer the money I would have done it (but don’t tell him that). It’s been a whole lot of fun so far.

The cost of having children is quite sobering. A family with a total income between $41,700 and $70,200 will spend a total of $228,557 to raise their first kid and $184,320 to raise their second kid to age 17, not including college costs. I’m not exactly raising my hand asking to sign up. My outlook will probably change once I get married, but who knows when that’s going to happen. The article from MSN Money details the expenses and offers some tips on how to slightly minimize the effect children have on the wallet.

The economy has seen some job growth but it doesn’t appear to have had any effect on job climate around here. Employees still feel trapped and the general philosophy seems to still be, “You should just be happy to have a job.”

Mothers’ Day is this weekend. Need a gift? The article from bankrate.com rounds up some options that you might want to consider if it’s not too late.

Here is some good news on the technology front. The U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. decided that the FCC overstepped its bounds by creating a rule limiting people from sending copies of digital television programs over the internet.

Interesting: The superrich keep $11.5 trillion shielded in off-shore tax havens. If that money were subject to tax, as it should be, the possibilities of the good that could be done with that money is endless.

There is, of course, the immeasurable value of having children that can’t be weighed financially, so I guess you just don’t really think about that part when you go to have them.

Also, I would totally have paid you more for the job if I could, but budgets being what they are (and me being a CEO who wants to make millions while running his company into the ground…no, wait….. :P)….

About Luke Landes

Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. Read more about Luke and about Consumerism Commentary.

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